Maddie's Notes - Maddie Huddle Arthttps://www.maddiehuddleart.com/maddies-notes/Fri, 27 Apr 2018 18:18:33 +0000en-USSite-Server v6.0.0-17332-17332 (http://www.squarespace.com)The 100 Day Project - 25 Days InMaddie HuddleFri, 27 Apr 2018 19:43:15 +0000https://www.maddiehuddleart.com/maddies-notes/2018/4/27/the-100-day-project-25-days-in550b69bfe4b06fda02913ea4:59bffefd2278e7f0d6692c8e:5ae36979352f536b0fb74c9cThe 100 Day Project is a global art project that takes place annually on
social media. I had heard about it last year when I really started getting
into podcasts, but this year I decided to participate. The idea behind The
Project is that for 100 days you commit to completing a creative task each
day, and then you document it on social media. This year's began on April
3, so I'm officially a quarter of the way finished. As I typically do, I
initially came up with project ideas that would be a bit more than I could
chew.

The 100 Day Project is a global art project that takes place annually on social media. I had heard about it last year when I really started getting into podcasts, but this year I decided to participate. The idea behind The Project is that for 100 days you commit to completing a creative task each day, and then you document it on social media. This year's began on April 3, so I'm officially a quarter of the way finished. You can click on the images below to enlarge them.

Days 1 & 2

As I typically do, I initially came up with project ideas that would be a bit more than I could chew. My first idea was that I would complete one portrait a day for 100 days. I realized, given my tendency towards perfectionism, I would quickly become overwhelmed. Then I thought I would do a drawing a day in a specific theme; one of the themes was skulls, but I thought that 100 skull drawings would eliminate my desire to ever draw skull imagery again and I didn't want that. I also didn't want to be pigeonholed into one specific thing, I knew I needed flexibility for those days I wouldn't have much time to work on the project.

Days 3 & 4

Day 5 (Where I procrastinated on the project until I was too sleepy to make an effort.) And Day 6.

My decision: one sketchbook page a day for 100 days. I finally asked myself, what do I want to get out of this? What's something I've been meaning to make a habit of? I've never been good about keeping up a sketchbook. Even in college, when it was a requirement, I constantly disappointed my professors in this regard. I think this is largely due to the perfectionist in me in that it takes me longer to draw. So when I have time to draw, I typically prefer to work on a larger project that will be publicly displayed than in a personal sketchbook.

Anyways, I found an old Moleskin sketchbook which was perfect for this: it's a manageable size and has almost exactly 100 pages. April 3 came around and I again had that sinking feeling of when you start a project that's going to take more time than anticipated. Typical Maddie.

It actually wasn't so daunting at first. I decided I would be loose and experimental in my endeavors so as to finish the pages quickly and not take too much time out of my work day. But by day 5 or 6 I realized I wasn't getting much satisfaction with each page.

Days 11 & 12 (Where I try to fill up each page, but am not successful).

Days 13 & 14

The universe seemed to intervene one of these early days and I got in the mail the goods from a Kickstarter I backed several months ago. One of my favorite artists had released an art book solely about her sketchbook process, The Sketchbook of Loish: Art in Progress. This book was exactly what I needed: inspiration.

Days 15 & 16 (Where I finally realize that trying to fill a whole sketchbook page will give me no time to work on other things).

Days 17 & 18

Day 19 (Where I was actually busy that day) and Day 20

It helped me to narrow my goals for The 100 Day Project as I questioned what I wanted to get out of a sketchbook besides quick thumbnail drawings, project ideas, and notes. I've always been drawn (get it?) to the human face, but I only draw portraits as a part of larger projects. Like I focus on one portrait at a time for an extended amount of time. I want to get better at drawing portraits. I want to get faster at drawing portraits. I want to get better at drawing on a small scale. Eventually, I'd like to be able to draw a convincing portrait without reference material.

Days 21 & 22 (Where I was not in a good mental state and tried out an affirmation.

Of course I tried to push myself, thinking if I'm determined enough, I can completely fill my sketchbook pages like Loish does and still have time to work on other projects. Which of course didn't work because I'm not used to working in a sketchbook AND working on other things since I've always done one or another. I had a couple days of depression in which I felt like a failure because I wasn't able to accomplish this task that other artists don't even have to think again. Comparing yourself to other artists? Never a good idea and not healthy.

Days 23 & 24 (Where I get back on track and realize pushing myself is only going to hurt me.)

Day 25 aka Today!

It took me 25 days to accept that I'm going to have to do this at my own pace, with my own limitations to consider. It's going to take many hours of sketchbook practice to achieve my ultimate goals, and that's the point of The 100 Day Project. I'll probably post the next 25 images when I hit day 50, but for now you can follow my progress on Instagram or Facebook. And don't forget to subscribe to my email list below so you never miss a blog post! Thanks for reading!

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]]>The 100 Day Project - 25 Days InArt is a Luxury You Can AffordArt TalkMaddie HuddleFri, 23 Mar 2018 17:10:06 +0000https://www.maddiehuddleart.com/maddies-notes/2018/3/23/art-is-a-luxury-you-can-afford550b69bfe4b06fda02913ea4:59bffefd2278e7f0d6692c8e:5ab527286d2a7301c7fb78c7Not only am I a working artist, but I also work in a small local art
gallery, so I’ve pretty much heard every excuse for people not buying fine
art or handmade goods. “I love this, but it’s just a bit more than I’m
willing to spend,” or “Oh… I thought it wasn’t going to be so expensive,”
or (we all know this one), “Well I could do that.” I even heard someone say
that I put the decimal in the wrong place, as in instead of a $500 painting
it should be $50. And I get it—well not that last one, that guy was just a
dick—art has been a luxury for centuries and is still considered one today.
You’re not wrong. Contemporary art can be a luxury that only a small
percentage can afford, but nowadays that’s often not the case. Even if a
piece of work seems beyond your means right now, it can still be worth the
investment. So in today’s blog post, I’m going to attempt to convince
people why art is something you should invest in, why the number on the
price tag might seem a bit high, and the positive results of owning artwork
you love.

Not only am I a working artist, but I also work in a small local art gallery, so I’ve pretty much heard every excuse for people not buying fine art or handmade goods. “I love this, but it’s just a bit more than I’m willing to spend,” or “Oh… I thought it wasn’t going to be so expensive,” or (we all know this one), “Well I could do that.” I even heard someone say that I put the decimal in the wrong place, as in instead of a $500 painting it should be $50. And I get it—well not that last one, that guy was just a dick—art has been a luxury for centuries and is still considered one today.

You’re not wrong. Contemporary art can be a luxury that only a small percentage can afford, but nowadays that’s often not the case. Even if a piece of work seems beyond your means right now, it can still be worth the investment. So in today’s blog post, I’m going to attempt to convince people why art is something you should invest in, why the number on the price tag might seem a bit high, and the positive results of owning artwork you love.

Progress shot of my latest large project, Medley of the Eclipse.

I’ve often struggled with my career choice as it’s made me wonder, what’s the point? I’m just adding to the problem that is capitalism and I’m not physically doing anything to help better the world. It took a while to come to the realization that art, in it’s own way, does help better the world.

I’m going to state here that I don’t believe everyone should invest in art, especially if it means not having enough money for groceries. The costs of living should always come first. But if you’re of the means where owning a computer and a tablet is the norm, I think it’s safe to say you can afford art. Moving on…

I’ve been trying to write this piece for several weeks now, but I’ve been pushing it off because I’m afraid of offending people or seeming like I’m calling out specific readers (which I’m definitely not). After a week of listening to inspirational art podcasts (I’m working on an art podcast post so you can listen, too!) I’ve decided that the truth needs to come out, even if it seems harsh, because otherwise these feelings just keep bubbling in the stomachs of all artists, becoming more volatile every day. Let’s face it, artists venting to each other is not going to solve anything, we need to bring these private conversations to the surface.

There’s this thing that happens as you’re an artist getting older, stepping into the “professional” world. You grow up painting and drawing, getting commissions from family friends right and left for custom artwork; this generally lasts through high school, as well. But then you graduate, and you try to start making a living off of your art, and suddenly your art isn’t worth the money to buy it.

Progress shot of Medley of the Eclipse, resin and oil paint on a skateboard.

It’s universally understood that art is meant to be appreciated, but what about the artists creating the pieces you enjoy? The idea of the “starving artist” is so ingrained in our culture that we’re caught off guard when the price of something is greater than what we expect to pay for it. It’s unconsciously believed that artists create art only because it’s what they love doing. This is true, why else would we continue making art while struggling to come up with the money for the electricity bill? Why would we go through the constant financial stress if we didn’t love it? But here’s the catch: if artists can’t make a living from their art, they can’t continue making it.

As much as we love knowing our work has made an impression, appreciation can’t feed us or keep us working. So I’m asking you to consider this: if you like what you see, find a way to show the artist, even if it’s just buying a $20 print or a $3 sticker. Do you like supporting local businesses? Consider artists as small business owners, because that’s exactly what they are! And like a small business, we need income to stay in business. For professionals, art isn’t something we do when we get home from work, creating is our work. This is also why the majority of artists give themselves an hourly wage instead of pricing work on it’s perceived value, because time is money! A small painting that had 15 hours of work to it is going to be more valuable than a painting twice the size but which only had 7 hours of work put into it.

“I really love your work. If only I had the money to buy art,” while frustrating is better than hearing someone turn down your work because they don’t believe it’s worth the price. “Ohh…I thought it was going to be less expensive,” in all honestly makes me want to end business with that client because it shows disrespect and a lack of understanding (especially considering many artists, especially “up and coming” ones, severely underprice their work as it is).

Progress shot of Medley of the Eclipse, cutting out little moth paintings to be pasted.

Progress shot of Medley of the Eclipse, my version of paint by number.

It’s also interesting to consider that many feel art is a luxury beyond reach, but expensive gadgets are commonplace; the fact of the matter is, the minute you buy something like electronics it’s value decreases. The opposite is true with art. Not only does art last lifetimes, but it only increases in value over time. I know people aren’t going to stop buying consumer goods and start buying art instead, that’s not even the case with artists. We all like our iPads and gaming consoles and smartphones, but I truly believe that art—in the long run—is more valuable than these fleeting things.

"Medley of the Eclipse," completed. Click the image for a closer look.

So that’s the purpose of this post, to help appreciators of art to understand just what goes into it and why the price tag is worth it. Of course we artists love knowing our work has made an impression or is appreciated, but at the then of the day it just won’t pay the bills. Consider this: not only do the artists have to buy the materials to create, but they need to pay the bills to keep the lights on and the water running, buy the promotional materials (business cards, for example), but they also need to make a profit from their work just to continue living, let alone to continue creating art.

In today’s world especially, art is not exclusive to the rich or the educated. You don’t need to have a knowledge of art and art history to become a collector, all you need to know about art is how it makes you feel, why you are drawn to it or just the fact that it stirs something in you. Contemporary artists go to great lengths to see that their work is affordable to the general public in many ways: prints, t-shirts, postcards, pins, patches. While these things are inexpensive and small, the sale of them absolutely helps support the artist (otherwise we wouldn’t offer those things).

All I ask is that the next time you’re admiring the latest work of your favorite artists, you take the time to consider the time and energy that went into that thing. Sometimes, if you show you’re appreciation to the artist and their work, they might even consider giving you a discount or a deal just for being a dedicated fan. If you’re confused about the price of a piece, you can ask the artist why it is what it is; as long as you’re polite and not accusing the artist of overpricing, they’ll probably be appreciative that someone has taken an interest in the process of their work and not just the finished product.

Thanks for making it this far! I hope this hasn’t come off as accusatory and I hope it has helped bring about a bit more understanding. My next blog post is going to add onto these ideas; I will discuss why art is essential, why it moves us, and the benefits of not only viewing artwork, but of owning it. What are your thoughts? As buyers? As artists? I’d love to hear anything you have to add, until next time!

]]>Art is a Luxury You Can AffordMotivation(?)Mental HealthMaddie HuddleMon, 22 Jan 2018 01:57:17 +0000https://www.maddiehuddleart.com/maddies-notes/2018/1/21/motivation550b69bfe4b06fda02913ea4:59bffefd2278e7f0d6692c8e:5a653680652dea6b6a2aa8e5Hello, friends! It’s been a long time, and I apologize for not meeting my
consistent post commitment for the past…well, months. My radio silence has
not technically been intentional, but has to do with the topic of today’s
post: motivation. What is it? How can you hold on to it? Can it be
manufactured? (I’m actually asking; I’d really like to know.)
Now, I’m conscious that everything I’ve written so far has been focused on
my personal journey and has mostly been about my mental health; this is not
my plan for every blog post I write, but I’d like to think you will get
more out of these posts if you get to know me better. After all, most of us
can only really draw from our own experiences and I think it’s important to
share them. Already I’ve received correspondence from readers, commenting
on how they related to something I touched on and how it was a relief to
see they weren’t alone in their feelings and experiences. (Thank you! To
those who have reached out to me!)

My first painting of 2018, in progress shot 2.

Hello, friends! It’s been a long time, and I apologize for not meeting my consistent post commitment for the past…well, months. My radio silence has not technically been intentional, but has to do with the topic of today’s post: motivation. What is it? How can you hold on to it? Can it be manufactured? (I’m actually asking; I’d really like to know.)

Now, I’m conscious that everything I’ve written so far has been focused on my personal journey and has mostly been about my mental health; this is not my plan for every blog post I write, but I’d like to think you will get more out of these posts if you get to know me better. After all, most of us can only really draw from our own experiences and I think it’s important to share them. Already I’ve received correspondence from readers, commenting on how they related to something I touched on and how it was a relief to see they weren’t alone in their feelings and experiences. (Thank you! To those who have reached out to me!)

I’ve added a question mark to the title of this because I often don’t think I possess motivation. I know in reality that isn’t true, but I feel like I experience true motivation so infrequently that I barely have a concept of what it is. Practically my whole life, I’ve assumed that I am an incredibly lazy person. It took seeing a therapist for a few months to realize that’s not what I am. I’ve always wanted to achieve things…I want to sit down and finish a drawing, I want to write and publish a blog post, I want to tell a client I’ve FINALLY finished the piece they’ve commissioned, I want to be a better artist and a better person.

But, as I’ve said before, within minutes of sitting down to do the thing I got motivated for, my energy just drains from my body. I become exhausted no matter the task. So I have a handful of days, a week at a time if I’m lucky, where it seems the stars have aligned and I work on my projects and do market research and update my website all day long without any effort at all. Naturally, this predicament is… not good for someone trying to make a living as a professional artist/designer/illustrator.

Wicked cool resin skull I made for a gift. With ghost hand.

Electric resin skull keychain commission.

Do I have depression or am I just lazy? is a difficult question to come to terms with because some qualities of being lazy overlap with symptoms of depression. But here’s the big difference: with laziness, you typically lack motivation for only certain tasks. We all have these moments, where the thought of emptying the dishwasher is just too much so you stack another bowl on the leaning tower of dishes already in the sink. The lack of motivation to study or do assigned reading. Not feeling like cooking an actual semi-healthy meal and instead sitting in the Panera drive-thru.

However, with depression (and I’m not saying everyone with depression experiences this or that people who do have depression, I’m no doctor) the big difference is the lack of motivation to do anything you usually enjoy doing. Maybe you usually pick up a book when you just don’t feel like working, but suddenly the words on the page hold no interest to you. Playing video games is no longer a way to blow off steam because these games you used to love make you bored or sleepy. Very little brings you anything even close to joy, so you end up doing nothing, but that’s just as bad as doing something, so instead you escape into your dreams. Again, I feel I need to stress that this may not be true for everyone experiencing depression, and there are different levels of depression, too, where a few things bring light into the darkness. But this is how I’ve felt—not all the time, mind you, it comes in waves—and for now, I can only speak for myself.

First drawing of 2018, in progress shot. White ink on mylar.

So, to my fellow creatives who also struggle with motivation or maintaining the energy or interest in doing your work, in doing what you love: How do you succeed? What do you do to get started and continue a task? How do you make a living when you don’t want to create?

Ideally, I hope in a future post to get into some techniques and maybe even some research (gasp!), but for now I’d like to hear from you and people you know. Even if you don’t have the answers, reach out! Let’s feel the feelings together!

Out-of-Round X 1999 at the MoMA, NYC. (my photo)

Out-of-Round X by Richard Serra. (not my photo)

And on that note, in general: What would you like to know? I’d much rather write about topics you all would like to read about. I can’t promise I’ll be able to answer it or touch on the subject for a while, but please reach out in the comments, click the “Ask me anything!” link in the sidebar, or email me at maddie[at]maddiehuddleart.com.

Finally (I promise), I’d love if readers would subscribe to my email newsletters so you don’t miss anything! Emails will typically come once a month, but will include discounts, new and in progress art, and other Maddie Huddle Art news. You can opt out of emails at any time and I do not share anyone’s personal information.

Thanks for reading and until next time!

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]]>Motivation(?)Why Make Art?About MeInspirationMaddie HuddleWed, 25 Oct 2017 23:29:59 +0000https://www.maddiehuddleart.com/maddies-notes/2017/10/24/why-make-art-part-one550b69bfe4b06fda02913ea4:59bffefd2278e7f0d6692c8e:59efc9a4c027d88d95730477‘Why make art?’ is a question I’ve struggled with/tried to get to the
bottom of for the past few years. Like I mentioned in the previous blog
post, How I Became An Artist, I really didn’t begin to question my motives
until I started art school at VCU. Drawing and painting was just something
I’d always done. I was technically skilled—apparently, as a young kid, I
meticulously colored within the lines—and I just enjoyed creating.

I feel I need to preface this post with a disclaimer: this is a long post.

‘Why make art?’ is a question I’ve struggled with/tried to get to the bottom of for the past few years. Like I mentioned in the previous blog post, How I Became An Artist, I really didn’t begin to question my motives until I started art school at VCU. Drawing and painting was just something I’d always done. I was technically skilled—apparently, as a young kid, I meticulously colored within the lines—and I just enjoyed creating.

Suddenly, in art school, everything had to have meaning or legitimate reasons behind the decisions I made. Why’d you choose these colors? What does this symbolize? Was there a reason you decided to draw the line this way instead of that? Basically, art had to be more than just visually stimulating images, and this was something completely new to me. I realize now it was incredibly difficult for me to come up with ideas for projects because, usually, a piece of work would be born from an image or series of images in my mind. And that wasn’t good enough anymore.

Now I had to come up with a fully thought-out concept before I even started to think of visual imagery. Sometimes, I would come up with a killer concept, but then realize I didn’t have the skill or resources to see it through. I’ll admit, for some assignments I would just make up the concepts (or reasons for doing x) either during or after the project was complete; I would make up these really insightful ideas (though, looking back, they probably seemed as bullshit as they really were) because I became so creatively stuck. Every decision I made—imagery, colors, composition—was met with roadblocks. So, I would “cheat” my way through certain assignments because I was just so desperate to create something that would give me more than a decent grade.

I don’t think, at the time, I was consciously aware that my artwork during those four years didn’t feel like mine. After an assignment was finished, I would stash it someplace I wouldn’t have to glimpse it because all I saw was an over-analyzed, unoriginal, dull image that someone else did using my hands. Of course, this wasn’t every project, but I’d be lying if I said it wasn’t the majority of them.

It all absolutely weighed on my consciousness, another pound added for each assignment, more pounds for assignments I was unhappy with. And, after a long period of being uninspired or not understanding what was expected of me, I became numb to the projects I usually would have been passionate about. I was trying to do my best, but I was just so damn exhausted. My discontentment obviously spread to my other non-art classes.

I can say with certainty that everytime I sat down to do some required textbook reading I would doze off within minutes. It was a lot like when you fall asleep in a car and you kinda wake up for just a second when your head starts to drop forward. The mere struggle to keep my eyes open is something I don’t think I can put into words. I would jerk awake during these periods of micro-sleep, only to fall asleep again after rereading the sentence I’d been stuck on. Almost every time I experienced this struggle to stay awake, I’d succumb to the “just a 20 minute nap” hit the snooze…hit the snooze…hit the snooze…until I either had to go to class or it was so late I knew I wouldn’t get anything accomplished.

Most days I felt like a zombie. I gained a ton of weight. My acne was out of control. I was getting sick frequently. One time, after being awake for close to 48 hours, I hallucinated that it was snowing. In the spring. I knew I was incredibly unhealthy, that all the habits I had fallen into were unhealthy. But what was I to do? With barely $8 in my checking account, healthy food was hard to come by. If I didn’t stay up until 3am on a typical night (and wake up at 7am) I wouldn’t have time to finish assignments, a snowball effect would occur, and my grades would drastically fall.

And on top of all that I was haunted by the question, Why did I make art? At that point, it was just to get through it all. To get through the week, month, semester. And it took me a solid two years after graduating college to finally come to terms with that question.

Okay, I admit this post so far has been a bit of a bummer, but I hope what follows puts a smile on your face, inspires you, or gives you some reassurance.

What I’ve found while struggling with this question for the past two years is that on some level, you do know why you create what you do, those reasons just haven’t come to the surface yet. Maybe some of what I say in this post will help you to realize some of those reasons.

The long and short of it is: you don’t have to have a “good” reason for creating art. In this use of “good,” I mean that your reason doesn’t have to be as complex as a long story of something that happened long ago and that only the weight of a paintbrush in your hand can make it better. Your reason doesn’t have to be that you want to shed light on a political or social issue.

If you make art because you like to make pretty things… that is a valid reason! I know many people will disagree with that and say that art has to be more than visual, that it has to make you contemplate something. But how often has a piece of art just caught your eye? You can’t really think of why you don’t want to look away, and it’s not making you think of anything in particular; but the simple fact that you are drawn to that image (or sound! I don’t want to discount music here either) illustrates my point. If, as a viewer of art, you are just drawn to certain artworks than others, why can’t that hold true with your own artwork?

For me, when I came to terms with the fact that it’s okay to create images simply because I like the imagery, I started discovering more reasons for why I make my art. It was like I opened a folder titled ‘I Think this is Pretty’ and there were dozens of subfolders within.

For starters, I can’t really see myself being anything but an artist. I know what I create and how I create will be constantly evolving as the years go by, but no matter what I’m specifically doing (maybe I get sick of painting in a few years and decide textile arts are my jam) I have always wanted to be an artist. Again, artist is the general profession, but you can get as specific as you want to be (painter, potter, song-writer, knitter) and you don’t have to stick to that one thing once you’ve decided on it. So my first reason is I make art because I feel it’s what I’m meant to do.

Secondly, though my wardrobe probably contradicts this, I love color. Color is one thing that blossomed for me during art school; it’s probably one of the few areas where I grew from being asked, “Why did you pick this blue?” I’ll never forget my first year of art school, I was sitting in a critique for one of the only classes I liked that year, and a peer said (in two separate critiques, actually) that the paint colors in my pieces looked like they came straight out of the tube. I remember, in the moment thinking (in Moe Howard’s voice of course), why I oughta!. But he was so right (yes, I’m talking about you, Alex B.) Before that class, color was mostly a means to an end and I had been more focused with perfecting the subject matter.

I probably spend way too much mixing colors before I get to work on a painting nowadays, but it’s honestly one of my favorite parts of painting. There is no limit to the different colors you can create! I’m constantly discovering a new combination of base colors that morph into a hue I didn’t think was possible. My fixation of mixing colors has a lot to do with the saturation of my paintings now; I just kept mixing colors because it was so cool and meditative, next thing I know I’m using them all. It’s fascinating to me how on the mixing palette there might be five blobs of paint that look about the same color, but if you paint them close together on your surface they couldn’t be more different (well probably, but you get my point).

Color is also one of the reasons I started focusing on painting portraits. It’s easy to mix a “flesh” tone and add white and black to it for shading and highlights. But that’s boring and not realistic. So I started training my eyes to really see a person’s skin color, and quickly realized you can’t sum up a skin color with one word. Endless colors go into the pigment of skin. Even colors you logically wouldn’t think make up a skin color are present-like green and yellow and purple (and that’s boiling it down a lot). It was within these shapes of colors that I began to contour the face and how I developed the “Chroma” style of my portrait paintings.

But, color aside, the human face is just beguiling. The more you analyze the face for a piece of art, the more things you notice that you’ve never noticed before, even with your own mom. I also see portraits as a personal challenge: can I make this painting really look like the person I referenced while still maintaining my fragmented style? I’ve found how the smallest of details can either make or break the accurateness of a portrait. Like if you draw a nose a smidge or two wider, you’re suddenly looking at a completely different person. I want people to see what I see.

Another HUGE reason I create art is simply how much I enjoy the actual process. Mixing paint, drawing the straightest lines I can, even erasing and correcting a mistake gives me a feeling of satisfaction. Like all is right in the world as I go through these motions. And so making art is also therapeutic for me. Of course there are always times when I just can’t get a drawing right or I’m just sick of looking at a piece, but overcoming those challenges is extremely rewarding.

And finally, I think artists as a whole create art because you’re creating something that has never been seen before (except for you plagiarizers! Don’t steal other’s hard work!) Sure, we’ve all seen a face before, but that particular face in that particular position using this particular colored paint on this particular surface has never been seen before. It might look similar to another artwork, but at the end of the day, as long as you’re not plagiarizing you are creating something that had not existed until you gave it life. You are taking a mere idea and making it palpable, something that others can react and interact with. I think once creative peoples start to realize this, anything is possible. A door you’ve never seen before has opened in your mind and all these weird, colorful, exciting ideas and images come pouring out because the only person really holding you back was yourself.

Okay, it might have gotten a little cliché there at the end, but you see my point (unless you don’t, which is fine!). If I’ve made anything confusing, or you’d like me to talk more in depth about something, or really just want to say anything, you can comment on this post or click the “Ask Me Anything” button in the side navigation if you don’t want your comments to be public. You can also email me at maddie[at]maddiehuddleart.com and I will try my best to get back to you in a timely fashion.

Now go and unleash your creativity!-Maddie

]]>About Me: How I Became an ArtistAbout MeMaddie HuddleSat, 30 Sep 2017 18:06:34 +0000https://www.maddiehuddleart.com/maddies-notes/2017/9/30/about-me-how-i-became-an-artist550b69bfe4b06fda02913ea4:59bffefd2278e7f0d6692c8e:59cfc4fbe5dd5b5f9d60ba65I always knew I was an artist, it wasn’t even a question of what I wanted
to be, I already was. Even as a kid, it felt like my purpose was to create
images, and I was lucky to have an incredibly supportive family who
recognized my passion and helped me nurture it instead of steering me in a
different direction. When people warned against a career as an
artist—“starving artist” was and still is common phrase—I wasn’t deterred.
I knew there were artists in the world, I had learned about them, I could
see their work in the small galleries of my hometown and in the enormous
museums in Washington, D.C.. So if they could do it, why couldn’t I?

Charcoal drawing completed in 2009, Junior Year of High School

I always knew I was an artist, it wasn’t even a question of what I wanted to be, I already was. Even as a kid, it felt like my purpose was to create images, and I was lucky to have an incredibly supportive family who recognized my passion and helped me nurture it instead of steering me in a different direction. When people warned against a career as an artist—“starving artist” was and still is common phrase—I wasn’t deterred. I knew there were artists in the world, I had learned about them, I could see their work in the small galleries of my hometown and in the enormous museums in Washington, D.C.. So if they could do it, why couldn’t I?

For now, I’m going to skip ahead to my senior year of high school. College applications had been submitted and one day I come home to a fat envelope with my name to the right of a bright red and yellow VCUarts logo. I had already received a couple acceptance letters by this point, but this was the one I had been waiting for: Virginia Commonwealth University’s School of the Arts.

The heavy envelope was a good sign, I knew, but—because I’m me—I still had my doubts. I’m pretty sure I shrieked when I read the first line of the acceptance letter, which was followed by some uncontrollable tears to add to the full grin on my face. Obviously, I was elated, I wanted to start packing immediately, I was ready. Despite the doubts I had been harboring that year of application writing and future planning, it wasn’t until that night that I really felt like everything was coming together. My path was clear. I was going to be okay.

View of a studio classroom in VCU's Communication Arts building.

I would be lying if I said I was a good art student. When university courses started in the autumn of 2011, I found I rapidly became exhausted and unmotivated. There was just so much work. I realized that, despite the fact that I had always been a diligent student in secondary school, I had only ever had one art class at a time with only one art project assigned at a time. Now I was in three demanding art courses (most semesters four) in addition to general education requirements.

After a couple of months I grasped that there simply weren’t enough hours in a day to work on and complete multiple creative assignments with often coinciding deadlines. At least, there wasn’t enough time to create work up to my perfectionist standards or work I felt very passionate about. So I put in enough time and effort into my assignments to get a decent grade, but there were only a couple assignments a year I felt truly zealous about and inspired by. I was dreadful (and still am) at keeping a daily sketchbook, and when brainstorming project ideas I would often only get as far as the first design instead of pushing myself to find something original or complex.

Acrylic paintings, 2011 - Freshman Year University

Looking back, I know now that a lot of why I was a “bad” student was because I was living with depression and a couple anxiety disorders without being aware of it. I remember wondering how my colleagues/peers could handle the course-load and still create these stunning, thought-provoking images. And naturally these thoughts would make me feel even more of an inadequate artist and so I would become more depressed and exhausted and unmotivated.

The only time I think I’ve ever truly doubted myself as an artist was during those four years of university and a year following graduation. Education in general causes you to question things about the world, but in art school we were driven to question ourselves. Is the composition complex enough? Do the colors work well together? What’s the meaning of this piece of art? Could this in any way be seen as plagiarism of another artist? Is this the best you can do?

After a while, I couldn’t stop questioning. I was indecisive, often taking the safer route than taking risks, which made me passionless. At that time, I thought the only reason I didn’t drop out was because I didn’t want to disappoint my family, friends, and acquaintances, even people I had yet to meet. Or worse, I would prove people right…that I was inadequate, that I had wasted all this time and money on nothing, that I was a failure.

I was at my lowest during the year after graduating, but that year was also when I began to understand that there might have been more going on than me just being a flop. It was within this year that I started questioning my mental health. I didn’t have many obligations anymore—no classes to go to or art project deadlines to meet—and I had the freedom to binge watch Netflix or play video games for days at a time with no real ramifications. I was doing whatever I wanted to do, but still felt passionless and bored. I was sleeping more than ever, but I was still exhausted.

It wasn’t until recently, after months of doctor’s appointments, medications, and therapy that I started to get my confidence in my art back. While I still acknowledge the negative feelings I had during my time in art school, I can now appreciate those four years and wouldn’t take them back if given the chance. I’ve learned that I needed that discipline of art school; I needed the deadlines, the projects I wasn’t interested in, the critiques, even the comparing myself to my peers.

Ink wash drawing, 2013

Ink drawing, 2013

Now my brain overflows with ideas, it’s impossible to turn them off. I’ve discovered I’m able to find solutions to design problems without much thought and I trust my instincts more than ever. Of course, there are still weeks where I have trouble getting off the couch or wielding a pencil, but more often than not I’m able to push through it and get motivated just enough to do something productive. I know this is all due to my education at VCUarts.

I’m not saying that anyone who wants to become a successful artist needs to attend an art school—that’s a topic that may have it’s own blog post one day. But in my case, art school was the mountain I needed to climb to become the artist and the person I am today. I don’t know if there’s a moral to this story, but I thought it was necessary to include for my next post, in which I’m going to talk about why I create; a lot of the reasons come from my struggles with depression and my education.

But I also hope this message reaches others who are experiencing self-doubt in their craft or passion so they know they aren’t alone. I believe it’s only when we acknowledge our feelings that we can begin to overcome them and heal.

See you next week! -Maddie

Latest projects, summer 2017

]]>Nice to Meet You!About MeMaddie HuddleThu, 21 Sep 2017 19:29:41 +0000https://www.maddiehuddleart.com/maddies-notes/2017/9/20/nice-to-meet-you550b69bfe4b06fda02913ea4:59bffefd2278e7f0d6692c8e:59c3072ee9bfdf164128bc8fHello friends, old and new! I've decided to start this blog, Maddie's
Notes, to get to know my followers, share some of my experiences, and build
new connections. I had been thinking about starting a blog for a while now,
but it wasn't until I participated in Fredericksburg, Virginia's Art Attack
event a couple of weekends ago that I decided to take the leap. I met a
bunch of people and received some great feedback, but I was asked a handful
of questions, too.

Hello friends, old and new! I've decided to start this blog, Maddie's Notes, to get to know my followers, share some of my experiences, and build new connections. I had been thinking about starting a blog for a while now, but it wasn't until I participated in Fredericksburg, Virginia's Art Attack event a couple of weekends ago that I decided to take the leap. I met a bunch of people and received some great feedback, but I was asked a handful of questions, too.

It's encouraging to see so many people express an interest in learning more about art, and I want to contribute what I can. It's always been my belief that anyone can create art if they put the time and effort into it. Whenever anyone says to me, "I wish I could draw!" or "There's not an artistic bone in my body," I get frustrated because often it's not like creators were just born with a gift. Most of us have had to work at it for years and are still working at it.

There will never be a point in my art career that I think, Well, that's it! I've learned everything I can about art. So I want to share what I discover in my own research and experiences as well as dispel certain beliefs people may have about art and artists.

I'm going to end this post with introducing myself a little bit. So, hi, I'm Maddie Huddle! As I write this, I'm currently 24 years old, I live and work in Fredericksburg, VA (U.S.A.), and I am a professional artist. As lives go, mine has been pretty ordinary; I've lived all of my life in Fredericksburg, except for four years of college at Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) in Richmond, VA. For those who don't know, Richmond is only about an hour drive from Fredericksburg, so I didn't get very far before returning to Fredericksburg after graduating in 2015.

Near Shafer Court on Monroe Park Campus, Virginia Commonwealth University

I'll probably share more about myself and my life, but that's where I'm going to end it for now. My goal is to write at least one blog post a week (we'll see if I can live up to it) so if you have any questions or blog topic requests, please leave them in the comments or submit them anonymously in the "Ask Me Anything!" form in the left sidebar.